"What an extraordinary year 2020 was! And what an extraordinary challenge it is to drive Europe to a sustainable recovery in 2021!
It is a commonplace at the time of crises that the world will not be again what it was before. This is perhaps doubly true this time, due to Covid-19 and its manifold consequences.
With an EU diving into health policy coordination, a counter-cyclical budgetary component financed by joint debt issuance, reinforced Kurzarbeit schemes and a youth guarantee, there seems to be a Social Democratic momentum. However, it remains to be seen whether in the period of recovery we manage to keep the Green Deal and the social agenda in focus, and whether we are able to step up European solidarity. The answers to these questions will determine our future for a very long time.
The Progressive Yearbook 2021 presents some key issues of the past year, including the emerging concept of the Health Union, the rule of law conundrum, pioneering policies like the Child Guarantee, and the added value of Social Democratic governments.
In the past year, the US elections were the most important, while in 2021 the German Bundestag elections will be the most significant. This yearbook offers readings on both. Predictions cover the economic recovery, the developments in Belarus, and the (so far ghost) conference on the future of Europe.
In 2020, FEPS had to learn to work amidst the extraordinary circumstances, to adapt to the conditions of confinement, to organise research projects and public events online, and to maintain close collaboration with our member foundations despite it all.
In 2021, we look forward to continuing the move to a new operational model, to returning to our new headquarters, and to putting these newly learned skills at the service of the progressive recovery and partnerships."

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ISBN (PDF) : 978-2-930769-51-6